Deep in the ruined Subterranean World.
Boom!
A pile of bedrock burst open as a man clad with a dark purple aura emerged from it. He was the Messenger of Gluttony.
His condition was bad as the explosion ripped his body apart. He was full of injuries and he barely survived that explosion.
"I've gathered the data of Project Sicily. I just need to find someone to test and improve it."
He muttered as he held his stomach. The only reason why he could still stand was because of the dark purple energy keeping his body intact. The explosion severely damaged his body and it would take a lot of time to repair it.
At the very least, he completed his goal. He got his hands on the date of the Project Sicily and this would help them in their future plan. He just never expects that Avron would go against him in that crucial moment. It almost cost him his life.
He stepped on the boulder of rock and observed his surrounding. The space wasn't wide as hundreds of boulders were enveloping the entire area. After all, the folded space that was supporting the Subterranean World has disappeared.
Hmm...?
The Messenger turned its head as he sensed a presence several meters away from him. He couldn't approach it since there were rocks in his path.
"Oh, it's the Terror Gale Hippogriff... It's still alive after taking the explosion from Project Sicily? I should kill this one before it recovered."
Killing intent flashed from the eyes of the Messenger. He would kill the guardian of the Subterranean World.
...
The stars glistened in the night sky and the moon shone brightly illuminating the dark land. The cold breeze of the night gently brushed across Souta's cheeks as he stared at the countless stars.
Souta stretched out his hand and said, "I really like the calmness the night gave to us. It balanced the bright atmosphere of the day."
"When are you going to return, Souta?" Lynn's voice came from the transmission talisman.
"Soon, I still have something to do in this place." Souta smiled. "Don't worry, I'll return no matter what happens."
"Mm... I trust you." Lynn said.
"By the way, my Adventurer ID is expired, right? So Lumilia must have replaced my position. Do help her in managing the legion."
"Yes, Mila became the Commander of Dark Oculus Legion. But we're currently out of the headquarters, right now. So Jeanne and the others are handling the affairs of the legion. I don't know anything about handling an organization so I can't help much."
"It's fine. Just do it in your way. How are you guys faring against the demons?"
"I don't know. We're only fighting low-rank demons. Most of the time, Bryan, Yujin, and Brando would eliminate all the enemies before I could provide support." Lynn said dejectedly.
"That's fine. You don't have to do anything if they can handle it all. Just focus on preserving your strength and when the time comes you will be able to use your strength to support everyone." Souta said to her.
"I understand..." Lynn nodded.
"Just be careful and don't let that idiot Bryan wander alone. I'm afraid that Bryan will get into another trouble."
Lynn chuckled when she heard his words. She leaned on the tree behind her and looked at the sky. She placed the transmission talisman near her mouth and whispered, "I wonder when will you return. I will always wait for you to come back."
"Look forward to it," Souta answered before he changed the topic. "You know, when I was walking in the streets the other day I found strange food here. I thought that it would taste bad but surprisingly it fitted my taste."
"Really?!"
"Yep, it's tasty."
"I wanna try it!"
"Don't worry, I remember the recipe. I think I can make it if I had the ingredients."
The two talked casually. They didn't talk about heavy topics anymore. Just chatted about normal daily life.
They only stopped before sunrise. They bid farewell to each other before Souta cut the connection of the transmission talisman. He placed the paper back in his pocket before he stood up and stretched his arms.
He jumped down from the roof and patted the dust on his clothes. It was time for him to go to the office of the Chief Captain.
...
Vandal was sitting in his chair, looking at the paper in his hand. He was filling up report after report so he was quite mentally exhausted. Luckily, his assistant was helping him with this job.
He also had to select people that would replace the position of the dead Grain Leaders. It was hard since the basic requirement for it was a Four Shackles Realm, and the warrior should've made a huge contribution to the legion.
"Forty-six warriors had applied for the position of the Grain Leaders..." He muttered. He wondered who he should choose this time.
Knock!
A knock came from the door and he glanced at Shirley, who was quietly standing beside him.
"I believe that it is Squad Leader Souta from the Tenth Grain War," Shirley said in a low voice.
Vandal turned to the door and said, "Come in."
The door creaked open and Souta stepped inside the room. He stood straight as he banged his chest and said, "Good morning, Chief Captain!"
Vandal glanced at him for a moment before he returned his gaze to the paper in his hand. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth and said, "Your contribution to the war was huge. The other Grain Leaders told me about it. You've done something great."
"Thank you, Chief Captain," Souta said.
To arrange the warriors on the battlefield, Souta naturally contacted several Grain Leaders on posts. Those warriors didn't hide anything and said that he was the one who arranged the strategy to tie up the forces of the Red Matter. He was also the one who located the leader of the Rebel Army. Along with Grain Leader Darwin, the two of them defeat Dromas, the Red Guardian, and forced out the Third Executive Josen.
"Here, take this..." Vandal placed a paper on top of the table. "I don't know why but the higher-ups decided to station your squad outside of the Champion's Den. Maybe, it's their plan to expand our scope to prevent other organizations from moving."
Souta reached out his hand and looked at the paper. "This... It's too far..."
"Yes, it's basically out of the Olympus' territory. We wouldn't help aside from obtaining the land. Other than that, you have to protect yourself from all sides. Also, if you met a powerful organization you can report to us and we will send reinforcement." Vandal said.
"So I'm on my own," Souta muttered while reading the rest of the contents.
"Not quite right. Look at the back. It feels like the higher-ups are testing something. It was written that you couldn't reveal that you're from Athen's Champion. After you secured the position, we will help you set up a portal so it will become a branch of Athen's Champion in the future."
"I see..." Souta nodded.
The territory of Olympus was huge and the Champion's Den was close to its center. Every god had their own land and it contained dozens of kingdoms and empires that worshipped the gods of Olympus. That's why most of the God Legions have different headquarters stationed across the land.
And now, the Athen's Champion was extending its hand outside the Olympus. In the current state of the world, it was a dangerous move. So Souta had to hide the fact that he was from Athen's Champion.
It doesn't matter if others know it. As long as he didn't blatantly reveal it to others, it would be fine. He participated in Red Matter Association and he had records so some of the forces could investigate his information. It would be fine as the higher-ups would back him up.
But Souta knew the truth that all of this was just an excuse. After all, Athena promised to give him a land so that he could stay there and hide Alice's identity from the perception of the other Olympus gods.
"And this. This is your reward for your contribution to the war." Vandal said as he placed another paper on the table.
Souta looked at it.
He earned thousands of achievement points from the war. With this, he could exchange it for some mana fruits, equipment, spell books, or combat arts. It was up to him how he would use his achievement points.
Aside from that, the most important thing was that his squad was promoted. The Astros Squad finally became the First Class Yellow Squadron. Just a little bit more and he would achieve the Blue Squadron Rank.
The resources that the Astros Squad would receive monthly had increased. A bunch of low-grade potions and mid-grade potions would be given to him. Since he had a bunch of potions, Isabella would be able to focus on her research.
